Don't blame the hotels

HOMES are more dangerous than hotels when it comes to
alcohol-related violence, new pubs boss Sally Fielke says.

The 33-year-old, who took over from 68-year-old Brian Ross as
chief executive officer of the NSW branch of the Australian Hotels
Association (AHA) last week, said hotels were unfairly blamed for
too many evils.

In her first interview, she told The Sun-Herald that
crime statistics showed 51 per cent of alcohol-related violence
occurred in homes.

"Alcohol and violence is a problem in our community, but it's
not just happening on licensed premises," Ms Fielke said.

"What concerns me is this great little finger-pointing,
blame-game going on, putting it all on licensees.

"Twenty-one per cent of alcohol-related violence is happening in
parks and other premises, which ties in with underage binge
drinking.

"They're not on our premises, because they're not allowed in.
Youth binge drinking is happening in the parks or at family
barbecues - we're getting a bad rap on that side of things. We have
to work on how we can better provide patron safety in our
premises."

Ms Fielke started working part-time for the Northern Territory
AHA while studying law in Darwin and later became its CEO, aged 29.
She was the first woman to head an AHA branch.

She said police statistics showed the trouble in NSW pubs came
from just 12 per cent of venues.

"We should look at what we can do to reduce that statistic, but
let's give some credit to the 88 per cent who are doing OK," she
said.

"Eighty-eight per cent of our venues are sociable environments
where you should feel safe. Where we're falling down, we have to
look at ways to fix that."

Ms Fielke said education and lateral thinking were the keys.

"The knee-jerk, Band-Aid approach of closing pubs or reducing
trading hours is short-sighted - when pubs closed at 6pm we had the
six o'clock swill," she said.

Disbursing departing patrons at close of trading was an issue
which needed good management, Ms Fielke said.

Darwin publicans had successfully trialled a system which
involved publicans paying for security guards at convenient taxi
ranks to alleviate the drivers' anxiety.

"Sometimes it just takes a bit of lateral thinking, and these
things need to be considered on a case-by-case basis," she said.
"There are plenty of venues where they're not bothering
anyone."

Pubs were doing all the things for which clubs got credit, such
as sponsoring junior sporting teams and supporting charities. They
made a significant contribution to the NSW economy, employing
200,000 people.

"I think we have to get that message out more strongly," Ms
Fielke said. "Pubs are completely underrated and that's one of the
things I will be working on."

Outgoing NSW Australian Hotels Association president John Thorpe
said the talents of Ms Fielke had been identified early as someone
who could make a difference in NSW.

The industry realised it would need an advocate who was a break
from the blokey image of the past as the political debate took a
different turn.

"She is a strong and co-operative person, and I emphasise the
word co-operative," Mr Thorpe said. "We need a skilled and
well-qualified negotiator with the attention to fine detail. She
is, after all, a lawyer."